This document provides an overview of remedial biology, including definitions of key terms like biology, characteristics of living things, and taxonomy. It discusses topics like growth, reproduction, metabolism, response to stimuli in living organisms. It also describes the hierarchical taxonomic classification system from species to kingdom, and examples of classifications. Finally, it outlines several taxonomic aids that are used for identification and classification of organisms, such as herbaria, botanical gardens, museums, zoological parks, and keys.

1. REMEDIAL BIOLOGY

2. UNIT-I
LIVING WORLD

3. o Biology - The term biology is derived from the
•Greek word bios means ‘life’ and logia means
•‘study of’.
o Biology is the study of life and living organisms.
o Life - Life can be defined as the property or
•quality of the living organisms that
distinguishes
•from dead or non-living in some functions like:
:•growth
:• metabolism
:• response to stimuli
:•reproduction

4. •CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING
THINGS
•1. Growth
•4. Response to stimuli
•2. Reproduction
•3. Metabolism

5. o Growth is an important characteristic feature of living
•beings.
o They increase in mass and number.
o Non-living objects also grow in mass by accumulation
•of material on its surface.
o Growth in a living being takes place due to internal
•processes, i.e. cell division.
o Plants show continuous growth throughout their life
•span, while animals show growth up to a certain
age.

6. o All living beings produce their offspring by the process of
•reproduction.
o Reproduction is an important process for continuing the
•lineage of a species.
•Reproduction
•Sexual •Asexual
o Fungi reproduce by asexual spores.
o Yeast and Hydra by budding.
o Planaria (flat worms) by regeneration.
o Unicellular organisms like bacteria, unicellular algae or
•Amoeba, reproduction is synonymous with growth,
i.e.,
•increase in number of cells.

7. •
o All living organisms are made of chemicals belonging to
•various classes, sizes and functions.
o The chemicals within a living organism are constantly
•being made and changed into some other
biomolecules.
o The sum total of all the chemical reactions occurring in
•our body is metabolism.
•Metabolism
•Anabolism •Catabolism
o No non-living object exhibits metabolism.

8. •
o Living organisms respond to their surroundings or
environment.
o Respond to environmental stimuli could be physical, chemical
or biological.
o Plants respond to external factors like light, water,
temperature, other organisms, pollutants, etc.
o Organisms can sense and respond to environmental cues.
o Photoperiod affects reproduction in seasonal breeders, both
plants and animals.
o Organisms handle chemicals entering their bodies and aware
of their surroundings.
o Human being, the only organism, which has self-
consciousness.

9. •
o Biodiversity - The diverse form of organisms present on
earth is called biodiversity.
o Nomenclature – It is a system of naming of organisms.
o There are millions of plants and animals in the world.
o Plants and animals are known in the local area by their local
names.
o These local names are vary from place to place, region to
region and within a country also.
o So, it is impossible for any person to remember the names
of an organism in all the languages.
o Hence, there is need for a uniform system of nomenclature
of organisms.

10. Identification - Identification is the process of
assigning a pre-existing taxon name to an individual
organism.
ICBN - International Code for Botanical Nomenclature
ICZN - International Code for Zoological
Nomenclature

11. • Bionomial nomenclature is a
system of naming species by
giving each a name composed
of two components, generic
name and species name.
• Carolous Linnaeus invented
the modern system of binomial
nomenclature.
•Carolous Linnaeus

12. o Biological names are usually written in Latin word
•and in italics font.
o Scientific name usually contains two parts: first word
•is Genus and second word is Species or specific
•epithet.
o Genus name starts with a Capital letter while species
•name starts with a small letter.
o Biological name is or printed in italics to indicate their
•Latin origin and underlined, when it is handwritten.
o Example: Mangifera indica ( Mango), Homo sapiens
•( Human), Oryza sativa (Rice), Triticum aestivum
•(Wheat)

13. •
o Classification – It is the process of grouping of organisms
into categories based on easily observable characters.
o Taxon - The scientific term for any unit used in the science of
biological classification is called taxon.
o Taxonomy - Taxonomy is the science of defining groups of
biological organisms on the basis of shared characteristics
and giving names to those groups.
o Carolus Linnaeus is regarded as the father of taxonomy.
•Characterization
•Identification
•Classification
•Nomenclature
•Process of Taxonomy

14. o Systematics
o The word systematics is derived from the Latin
word ‘systema’ means systematic arrangement of
organisms.
o Systematics is the study of the diversification of
living forms, both past and present, and the
relationships among living things through time.
o Linnaeus used Systema Naturae as the title of his
publication

15. o TAXONOMIC CATEGORY
o Classification involves hierarchy of steps where
•each step represents a rank or category.
o Various steps of the classification hierarchy are
•called taxonomic categories.
o Each level in the hierarchy represents an increase
•in organisational complexity.

16. •SPECIES
o Species is a group of individuals in which the
individuals can interbreed among themselves.
o Members of a species have a large number of
similar characters.
Example:-
o Mangifera indica (Mango),
o Solanum tuberosum (potato)
o Panthera leo (lion);

17. o A group of closely related species is called genus.
o Example –
o Potato,tomato and brinjal are three different species
•but all belong to the genus Solanum.
o Lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus) and
•tiger (Panthera tigris) are members of the genus
•Panthera.

18. •
•
•FAMILY
o A group of closely related genera is called a family.
o Families are characterised on the basis of both
•vegetative and reproductive features of plant species.
•Example :-
o Three different genera Solanum, Petunia and Datura
•are placed in the family Solanaceae.
o In animals, genus Panthera and genus Felis belong to
•the family Felidae.

19. o A group of closely related families is called order.
o Order and other higher taxonomic categories are
•identified based on the aggregates of characters.
•Example :–
o Plant families like Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae are
•included in the order Polymoniales.
o In animals, Felidae and Concidae belong the order
•Carnivora.

20. o Class is a major category made of one or more
•related orders that posses certain similar
correlated
•characters.
o Example –
o Class mammalia has a number of orders like
•carnivora, rodentia, primata, insectivora, etc. all
•possess mammary glands, external ears and hair.
•o

21. • A group of closely related classes is called
phylum.
• In the Plant Kingdom phylum has been replaced
•with division.
• Example - Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves and
•Mammalia belong to the Phylum Chordata.

22. •KINGDO
M
o A group of all the related phyla is called the Kingdom.
o Example :–
o The Kingdom Plantae comprises all plants from
•various divisions.
o All heterotrophic organisms which are eukaryotic and
•lack a cell wall are kept under Animal Kingdom.

23. •
•Order
•Class
•Kingdom
•Phylum or
•Division
•Family
•Genus
•Specie
s

24. •
•ORGANISMS WITH THEIR
•TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES
Common
Name
Biological
Name
Genus Family Order Class Phylum/
Division
Man Homo
sapiens
Homo Hominidae Primate Chordate Mammalia
Housefly Musca
domestica
Musca Muscidae Diptera Insecta Arthropoda
Mango Mangifera
indica
Mangifera
Anacardiac
eae
Sapindal
es
Dicotyledo
nae
Angiospermae
Wheat Triticum
aestivum
Triticum Poaceae Poales Monocotyle
donae
Angiospermae

25. o Storehouses of information and specimens which
•can help in identification and classification of
•organisms are called taxonomic aids.
o Study of various species of plants, animals and
•other organisms are useful in agriculture, forestry,
•industry, etc.
o These studies are useful to know about our bio-
•resources and their diversity.
o These help in identification, naming, and
•classification of organisms.

26. •o1. Herbarium
o Herbarium is the storehouse of plant specimens.
o Specimens are dried, pressed, and preserved on
•sheets.
o These sheets are arranged systematically
•according to the universally accepted system of
•classification.
o Herbarium sheet contains information about date
•and place of the collection, collector’s name,
local
•and scientific name, family, etc.
o It provides quick referral systems in taxonomical
•studies.

27. •o2. Botanical gardens
o A botanical garden is a place where plants are grow
•and displayed for the purposes of research and
•education.
o Each plant contains labels indicating their scientific
•name and family.
•Some famous botanical gardens:
o Indian Botanical Garden, Calcutta
o National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow
o Garden of Medicinal Plants, North Bengal University,
•West Bengal

28. •o3. Museum
o Musium is the place of collection of preserved plant
•plant and animal specimens for study and
•reference.
o Specimens are preserved in containers or jars in
•preservative solutions and can be preserved as
dry
•also.
o Insects are preserved in insect boxes after
•collecting, killing, and pinning.
o Large animals are stuffed and preserved.

29. •o4. Zoological parks
o Zoological park is the place where wild animals are
•protected under similar to their natural habitat.
o It provides opportunity for studying the behaviour and
•food habits of the animals.
•Some famous Zoo in India:
o Zoological Park, Mysore
o Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad
o Trivandrum Zoo
o Chennai Zoo

30. •o5. Key
o Keys are used for identification of plants and
•animals based on similarities and dissimilarities.
o Keys are analytical in nature and based on
•contrasting characters in a pair called couplet.
o Out of two proposed characters, only one which is
•relevant is accepted while the other is rejected.
o Each statement in a key is called a lead.
o Separate taxonomic keys are required for each
•taxonomic category such as family, genus, order,
•etc.

31. o Flora, manuals, monographs, and catalogues are
•other taxonomical aids.
o They help in correct identification
o Manuals provide information for identification of
•names of various species in a given area.
o Monograph contain information on any particular
•taxon.